Daily Motor News – Tuesday 06 January 2026 

‘The investment will enable the Group to continue investing in its people, sites, systems and operational capability, supporting continued growth in a highly competitive market while staying true to the culture, values and collaborative approach that define the Vella Group’s brand.’  Read more

UK weather latest: Britons feel coldest night of winter – as Norfolk village records lowest temperature 

Temperatures could fall as low as -12C as an Arctic blitz of snow, sleet and hail showers makes its presence felt across the UK. Overnight, the UK felt its coldest night of the winter so far – as far south as Norfolk. Read more

Fraudulent Britain: Nearly 13 million lying on finance applications 

Nearly one in four Brits (24%) admit they have intentionally lied when applying for a personal finance product, such as car insurance, according to new research from Go.Compare. Nationwide, this could equate to nearly 13 million people deceiving financial providers – and the comparison site warns that even “small” lies can be classed as fraud. Read more

Drivers to hit the brakes on vital car repairs in 2026, says motoring expert 

Motorists could unknowingly be putting their own safety and finances at risk by delaying essential repairs to their cars. At a time when consumers are once again facing rising bills as the new year begins, the latest annual poll of car garages and workshops across the UK by The Motor Ombudsman – an expert on all things motoring, has revealed that nearly seven in ten (68%) expect drivers to skip doing vital work on their vehicles as a quick way to save money. This is a slight rise from the figures of 61% seen in 2025, and 53% in 2024, laying bare the continued strain on household budgets. Read more

Admiral Group completes sale of its U.S. motor business to J.C. Flowers 

Admiral Group plc has completed the sale of its U.S. motor insurance business, including Elephant Insurance Company and Elephant Insurance Services (“Elephant”), to J.C. Flowers & Co. (J.C. Flowers), a global private investment firm dedicated to investing in the financial services industry, effective from 31 December 2025. Read more

UK new car market breaches two million as almost one in four buyers go electric 

The UK new car market grew for the third year in a row in 2025, breaching the two million mark for the first time since the pandemic, with 2,020,520 new car registrations, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Read more

Electric car discounts are unsustainable, says industry group 

Industry discounts for electric vehicles are “unsustainable”, a major motoring group has warned, as the number of new cars registered in the UK exceeded two million last year for the first time since the pandemic. Read more

Nvidia unveils ‘reasoning’ AI technology for self-driving cars 

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang on Monday announced Alpamayo, a tech platform the company says will help self-driving cars think like humans. “Alpamayo brings reasoning to autonomous vehicles, allowing them to think through rare scenarios, drive safely in complex environments, and explain their driving decisions,” Huang said on stage at the annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas. Read more

A Milestone for Human-Vehicle Interaction. BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant expanded to include Amazon Alexa + Technology. 

In 2026, BMW will expand its BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, built on Amazon’s AI Alexa+ architecture, taking voice interaction between humans and vehicles to a new level. Read more

Volvo warns EX30 drivers about possible fire risk from overheating batteries 

Drivers of certain Volvo EX30 models are being warned of the risk of fire from overheating batteries. The Swedish brand has said that it has ‘identified a risk’ affecting EX30 Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance cars made between 2024 and 2026 which, ‘in rare cases’, could cause the battery to overheat and lead to a fire starting. Read more

Car giant Hyundai to use human-like robots in factories 

Hyundai Motor Group says it will roll out human-like robots in its factories from 2028, as major companies race to use the new technology. The South Korean firm showed off Atlas, a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Monday. Read more

The Vella Group Welcomes Strategic Investment to Support Next Stage of Growth 

The Vella Group, one of the UK’s largest and fastest-growing automotive repair groups, is pleased to announce that it has secured a strategic investment led by Ama Capital, alongside Keyhaven Capital Partners.  Read more

Watch: Thieves snatch three motorbikes from festive garage display near Wolverhampton 

Thieves have snatched three motorbikes from a festive garage display near Wolverhampton causing thousands of pounds damage. The owners of MG Accident Repair Centre have released security camera footage of the raiders smashing the plate glass windows at the front of the premises in Enterprise Drive in Four Ashes near Wolverhampton. Read more

iRG Repair Group has scored a perfect 10 after being named as an Approved Repairer for the Stellantis Group. iRG is now authorised to undertake repairs on vehicles representing the manufacturer’s 10 brands at its Cardiff site. 

Thatcham Research has introduced the Automotive Risk Intelligence LIVE 2026 Series. A year-long events programme designed to immerse you in the science and strategy behind automotive risk. 

Abi McSorley has started a new position as Business Relationship Manager at Cogent Hire. 

Jon Lowe has started a new role as Senior Engineer at Admiral Group Plc. 

Mark Bushell has started a new role as Head of Client Relationships at Fix Auto UK. 

David Morris has started a new position as Director of Business Development Northern Europe at Bdeo. 

Darren Griffin has started a new role as Service & Maintenance Manager at Steer Automotive Group.